Metamorphosis
by Hikarumeaningradiance
Summary: Enter Rei: freshman, Iwatobi University, art history major. Enter Nagisa: sophomore, Iwatobi University, fashion major. Enter dark secrets and alliances where no one can be trusted and everyone is both an ally and an enemy. Enter denial, love, angst, and violence. Now express it visually. (ReixNagisa)(HarukaxRin)(NitorixMomotarou)(MakotoxSousuke)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: after continuous debating, I have finally decided to create this...inspired by my trip to an art museum in Italy, this is the brainchild of my fujoshi alter ego. It makes more sense as the story goes on, I promise ^^**

**Song for this chapter: Shock by B2ST**

**Hikaru out~**

Art was like fire. It spread out and around from the source in so many ways, warping everything it touched. It destroyed things to make way for the new pioneers. It was a limitation, the beginning and ending of someone's story. It made some feel inadequate while making others feel superior. More than survival of the fittest, it was the predator and prey. Conquer the prey, and your purpose is fulfilled. Art was capable of human emotion, with its ability to hurt while hurting others. It was a weapon of the deadliest kind, the kind that would affect everyone in different ways. But it was a method of freedom so risky that it could consume you. Those who ventured into this terrain of uncertainty were true soldiers. Except Ryugazaki Rei, that is. He stood on the edge of the battlefield, wanting to jump into the fight but afraid of the outcome.

6:15 a.m. The alarm buzzed silently, and a head instantly shot out from under the covers. The boy ran one hand through his messy blue locks while the other groped around the bedside table for his glasses. _1 hour and 46 minutes left_. He slowly slid one pajama clad leg to the floor and then the other, into strategically placed slippers. _If I leave now, I will have 20 minutes to myself in the bathroom. No distractions._ He quickly walked across the darkened room with confidence as he had memorized the arrangement of his dorm the night before. Once he reached the door, he raised a hand and pulled a silicon shower bag off a hook. _The knob is creaky, turn it 45 degrees to the right and then pull._ Running these calculations through his head, he turned the knob as to not wake his roommate, and slipped into the lit hallway. He took a breath. _Here he was, finally, a freshman at Iwatobi University, finally out of the clasp that his parents had on him, finally able to make his own decisions._ He constructed a mental map as he followed the signs to the common bathroom, taking note of the corridors that would normally be crowded if he was late. Pulling the shower curtain firmly behind him, he began discarding his clothes, folding them into a neat pile and placing them into a compartment in his waterproof bag. Finally he took off his glasses just as the cold water hit him. He sighed in relief.

His relaxation was only temporary, as the water's temperature dropped from cool to that of liquid ice. Yelping as he fumbled to shut off the water, he hopped from one foot to the other, trying to lessen the amount of skin the water would touch. Finally, he was able to turn off the shower, panting from his efforts. With his eyes still closed, he groped around for his towel.

It wasn't there. His eyes shot open in panic. Here he was, a freshman on his first day of college, shivering in the bathroom without a towel at 6:35 a.m. Could it be worse?

There was only one option to maintain his sanity for the rest of the day. He shook his hand dry and reached for his phone in his bag, cringing at the water droplets his hands made as he swiped his screen. He quickly typed in a few numbers and held his phone to his ear. The call went through, and rang a few times. _He had better pick up. I swear, if that guy was doing who-knows-what the night before school, I will….._ He sighed. After the fourth ring, it was picked up. Rei heard shuffling as the receiver got his bearings together. A deeper voice could be heard in the background, "Who is it?" Rei rolled his eyes. _Of course he would do that the day before school. _

"Eh?" the sleepy voice grunted.

"RIN!"


	2. Chapter 2

**~HMR~**

**Woow. Chapter two already. Shocker, but I am not the best at maintaining a constant updating schedule. As of now, I work at a coffee shop, so I unnecessarily end up spending a lot of money in order to use the free wifi. Pathetic, I know...anyyywayyy**

**Sit back, pick up a cup of coffee or tea, and enjoy!**

**Song inspiration: Don't Leave by GD&TOP (i swear the club feel makes me get the feels)**

Chapter 2:

5:00 a.m.

The boy groaned softly as he stretched his pale arms in front of him, clearly exhausted. Pulling an all-nighter right before school started was one of the most stupid things he had done so far. And he had done A LOT of stupid things. If he had to write one more word about the reason why asexual reproduction in coral was effective, he would go to the damn ocean and destroy those damn creatures himself. What was the point of learning about coral anyway? Why couldn't nature pick either a plant or animal? Why some freaky hybrid? And what was with his teacher and asexual reproduction? That shit was random. Why couldn't they just get a dick and do the deed? A sudden beep penetrating his thought process. He winced at the sudden light flashing on his phone, eyes still accustomed to the dim glow emanating from his laptop screen. He slowly stood up with shaky legs from his swivel chair. _What is this life?_ he thought as he rubbed his tired eyes with the back of his hand, trying and failing to suppress a yawn. He sat back down as he attempted to submit the last-minute essay he had thought up a mere four hours ago.

"SUBMISSION DENIED" flashed in red across the screen. Lips moving into a frown, he scrolled to the bottom of the page, trying to see what was wrong. _Sophomore year was supposed to be bearable! _"Submissions due September 29, 20XX, 5:00 a.m." He took a look at his desktop clock, frown deepening. The clock, almost smugly, read 5:01 a.m.

"FUCK!" he swore loudly, not caring if he woke his roommate, the bastard slept too much anyway.

_That's it. _He slammed his head onto the desk. _I, Nagisa Hazuki, am a fucking hot mess._

**~HikaruMeaningRadiance~**

Nightmares plagued him the second his eyes closed. He saw flashed of the past he so desperately wanted to run away from. A bloodied hand, reaching for him. A pleading voice, begging him to stop. Those beautiful purple eyes he loved glassy and unstaring, their owner's body mangled beyond recognition. _Stop! _he wanted to shout. But his voice was useless in these dreams. It was not worth it to even try. He just had to wait out the horror.

His eyes burst open as a hand shook him out of his turmoil. He glanced up to see worried gray eyes peering down at him."Nagisa! Are you okay?" He jumped.

"Oh. Ai. I'm fine." The eyes squinted down at him, as if the boy could see into Nagisa's head. Which he probably could, as he majored in psychology. He had to be more careful from now on.

As if on cue, the gray eyed boy declared loudly, "No you're not! Nagisa, I've known you since high school, give me credit." he pouted. It was true. Aichiiro Nitori had been there for him since high school, the victim of much teasing, but remained Nagisa's rock in life when times got hard and he was ready to give up. The role of psychologist was fitting for him with his kindly disposition, gray eyes and hair, and caring personality. He felt lucky to have one of his closest friends as his roommate.

Aichiiro's voice turned professional again as he chided his friend. "Nagisa, you better not have a 8:00 class today."

The blond's eyes widened. "What, why?"

The gray-haired boy pinched the bridge of his nose and rolled his eyes in irritation.

"What?" Nagisa was beginning to freak out. Aichiiro gestured with his thumb at the desktop clock. It read 7:55 a.m. His first class, fashion design, was at 8:00 a.m. in a classroom that was a mile away.

"FUCK!" Nagisa wailed as he scrambled to get his belongings together, leaving a chuckling boy in his wake.

**damn. one more done. pretty proud of myself for doing this in one sitting. Enjoy, dears. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I would like to thank my kouhais and senpais for their support and assistance in helping me create unique yet relevant portrayals of these characters.**

**Can I just dissolve into a puddle of moe b/c of my brother. he bought me and himself Rei and Nagisa keychains because "they look cute together". **

**Corruption. Completed. yess.**

**Warning: language**

**~HMR~**

Nagisa took no note of his surroundings as he sprinted across the campus to the arts and sciences building. The tall spires of the literature building that he was so fascinated with as a freshman were just a blur in his periphery as he raced by, counting on his toned legs to carry him all the way in time. Bangs pinned back, glasses perched on his nose, he looked like a man on a mission. His blazer and white shirt oozed class and professionalism as he raced by freshmen caught in the splendor of the campus.

There. Finally. A few meters ahead, he saw the steel and glass cylinder of the Hazuki Hall. Funded and donated entirely by his family, the building housed professional tools and equipment for any arts major to get familiar with the ideal workplace. Laptop bag swinging wildly from his shoulder, he panted as he ran the last few steps up the stairs, forcing the door open and jumping in. A blast of the air conditioner dried off any sweat that was beginning to form on his forehead. leaning against the doorway, he placed his hands on his knees, taking deep breaths to calm down his racing heart. He glanced up at a clock with more mirrors than numerals on the wall and breathed a sigh of relief. _T__wo minutes early. _It was a new record. _  
><em>

~HMR (linebreak of all linebreaks)~

Rei's evenly paced walk was a bit unsettling to watch as the rest of the freshmen were frantically rushing to class. He smirked at his two advantages. He knew the amount of time he would take, and he knew how to get there. Two more advantages than the average freshman. It was all thanks to Rin and his boyfriend, Haruka, for letting him visit during their freshman year. Rei genuinely felt lucky to be in the same college as people who knew him inside and out, and who knew how to survive in such a setting. Rei had known Rin since he moved next door to him when Rei was in the 5th grade. Being one year older did not deter him from forming a strong bond of friendship with the blunette, defending him from bullies who made fun of his flamboyant nature. Haruka was Rin's childhood friend from the town that Rin had moved from in the 6th grade. Rei was there when Haruka moved to Rei's city when Rin was seventeen. He was there when those long years of separation had finally taken its toll, when those two decided to dig up everything that had gone wrong between them. He felt left out, but he didn't care. What he knew was that the two dorks REALLY cared about each other, but were too thickheaded to realize it. So he played the role of matchmaker, dropping a few clever hints here and there until they figured out their feelings. And then he spent another week comforting an agonized Rin on how to ask out the other boy. It had never bothered him that his best friend was dating another boy. To him, it just was two people who loved each other, despite how thickheaded they were. Haruka was originally wary of Rei's closeness to his boyfriend, but realized that the bluenette was harmless when he saw the blind adoration the younger boy had for Haruka's talent in swimming. Rei grew close to both boys becoming a sort of younger brother to the two of them. It was because of this that they allowed him to visit them during their freshman year, and the reason why Rei was so happy to be attending Iwatobi University.

Take this morning's embarrassing distress call, for example. Had it been any other person, both Rin and Haru would have told them to fuck off, and then gone to the bathroom just to get a laugh out of it. Because it was Rei, Rin didn't get mad. He just fondly chuckled to himself, and he got a towel for the boy shivering in the bathroom. It was not all kindness however. Rin HAD to get something out of it, so he ripped the curtain open, eliciting a scream from the bluenette in the corner. Then he proceeded to tell him every single explicit detail that he and his boyfriend would have been doing had Rei not called them. Haru raised his phone, snapping a picture of the bright red that blossomed across Rei's face, taking a mental note to save it for future blackmail. Rei grimaced. He had to find the photo and delete it before that idiot Rin decided to print copies.

He pushed his glasses up with his thumb and index finger, taking carefully measured strides toward the glass door of the arts and sciences building. Why they would have an art history class in a science building, he didn't know. Not that it mattered. Actually, it was a benefit. The building was a donation of the esteemed Hazuki family, well-known art collectors and owners of the Iwatobi Recollection of the Arts, a gallery of the world's greatest works of art, ancient and modern. Many a time when the stress from school was overwhelming, Rei had found himself inside the gallery, lost in the vibrant expression of human emotion.

Five minutes till class starts. His breathing quickened. He was about to enter the jewel department of the university, the greatest modern architectural feat of the region. The glass doors glistened in the early morning sun, beckoning him to open them to reveal the magical world inside. He reached out, grasped the handle, and pulled….and then nothing. The doors did not budge. His brain went into overdrive. What if I came too late? What if this is the wrong building? What's going to happen now? His palms began sweating, and his face flushed. He adjusted his glasses nervously.

As his vision focused, Rei could make out a figure on the other side of the glass, leaning against it, a person with fluffy blonde hair, blocking his only entrance to the building of his dreams. _How about no._ Rei hesitantly raised a hand up to the glass, knocking softly, once, then twice, and then with greater intensity as the blonde remained oblivious to his efforts. He nervously checked the red watch on his wrist, face falling as he realized how much time he had left. Those damn hands revealed that he had only two minutes left till class. He glanced at his hands, as if visually assessing their strength. _ Those strength training sessions over summer had better be useful now._ "Angle, forty five degrees. mass: fifty-four kilograms. acceleration: 9.8sinforty-five." He grasped the handle and slammed into it violently, letting his body roll into the motion to displace the person on the other side. The door opened with a bang, knocking the blond, a slim boy, forward. The blond hit the floor, curling up in the fetal position, hands cupping his face._  
><em>

He turned around to face Rei with a glare that could burn him to a crisp. Rei didn't see that. He saw soft blond curls perfectly framing an elflike alabaster face. He saw magenta eyes, with long lashes. He saw pink, pouting lips. And then he saw the angry flush that was spreading across the boy's face.

"Oh, shit."

* * *

><p><strong>daaaang that felt good. sorry for not updating in a long time, I was freaking out about the sheer amount of work my sadistic teachers like to bombard me with. It's all been here, just on google drive, my phone, just not put together. <strong>

**Thanks for sticking around!**

**~Hikaru out~**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**

**Hikaru here! So, after thorough ****fangirling**** ahem...RESEARCH of various fanfiction (all in the name of literary progress, I tell you) I have concluded that my chapters are, unfortunately, VERY SHORT. I feel bad, because I want to share more of Rei and Nagisa to people, but there's this one little voice in my head telling me, "Don't give away everything, ya piece of shit." So I listen to that. I stop my chapters when I feel that they should be stopped, which is the reason why I draft and redraft my chapters before submitting them...**

**If you see a spelling or grammatical error, please let me know via PM or review :)**

**Now for the whole backstory of this chapter: I'm reading ****The Scarlet Letter **** and, contrary to what many people think of classics, it's actually quite good. I wish Hester maintained her badassery throughout the book though...I hope I didn't just insult a book. Nathaniel Hawthorne, wherever you are, please do not haunt me for the rest of my life. I mean this in all good nature, I promise. So...(went off on a total tangent) one of the really cool add-ons to the actual story are references to the 19th century philosophy of anti-transcendentalism and (my favorite) the use of pathetic fallacy (love those words). I want to use techniques like that, maybe improve my style a bit, huh? I promise, no forests lighting up :3**

**Song for this chapter: Funny Group from Free! OST (yes, I know, no creativity whatsoever)**

**Enjoy! ~Hikaru**

Rei's mind wandered while he was in class, the teacher's lecture on Renaissance linear perspective a dull, muffled sounds compared to the frenzy of ideas flooding his brain.

Who was he? Rei KNEW that he had seen those fiery magenta eyes before. He didn't even register the glare the boy gave him as he awkwardly adjusted his glasses. Only one thought ran through his mind as he fought to keep his face expressionless. Beautiful.

"- Rei Ryugazaki, if you'd care to elaborate." The professor's voice jolted him out of his thoughts of blond curls and magenta eyes. He pushed up his glasses, looking around, utterly confused.

"Me?" He pointed to himself with a flustered expression on his face.

"Yes, you." The professor's lips tilted up as he flicked his head to push his bleached bangs out of his eyes. With the bleached hair and the designed undercut, Goro Sasabe looked more like a thug than an esteemed instructor of art history. There was no backing out now. He was caught.

"Um," he swallowed. "what was the question again?" The last part came out as a low whine as Rei's face burned and his gaze dropped to the floor. First impression ruined. Damn that blond cherub. He looked up from a bright red spiral on the carpeting to his classmates' laughter. Professor Sasabe smile warmly.

"No need to be shy. We all have our bad days." He pointed to a red book on Rei's desk, still unopened." If you go to page 394, you will see a picture. Rei quickly flipped to the page and instantly blushed. "Can you explain the artist's motives behind this picture and how it shows a reflection of the society of Pompeii?"

"Uh." A crimson flush had painted itself across the bluenette's face as he stared at the picture. It was one of the ancient Roman frescoes from a brothel in Pompeii, as stated in the caption below it. It wasn't the fact that it came from such a place, it was what the picture was depicting. Looking carefully at the picture, it was obvious to see that it showed two men in the throes of passion. The blush remained as his eyes caught an obvious phallic symbol at the corner of the page. "I...uh...think that the artist...was adding to the...open idea of brothels as...fertility...and that sex between guys was...uh...more accepted than today's society." His face had taken on the shade of his red glasses as he tried to anywhere except where his teacher was standing with a smirk on his face. He eventually resorted to hiding his face in his hands, giving up on hiding his expression.

The rest of the class went by in a blur as he tried to not make eye contact with the rest of his classmates, not after his fuck up answering the question. Mr. Sasabe gave him an encouraging smile as he walked out the door. "Remember, students, that art is not just the author's idea, it is an experience of self reflection for the viewer. This classroom is open for discussions and is a place of tolerance to any preferences a student may have." Mr. Sasabe called out after them. What a weird teacher. He swung his bag over his shoulder as he walked out of the room. A hand clapped him on the shoulder as he reached the door to the Hazuki Hall. Flinching violently, he turned to see who had interrupted his flow. A tall brunette grinned sheepishly at him.

"Sorry for scaring you." His voice was gentle, like waves lapping at the shore. His genuine smile put Rei at ease. "That was some explanation you gave in class, heh." he chuckled as Rei stiffened, eyes darkening.

"If you don't mind, I have another class to go to." He tried to push through the crowd to the door as the boy's hand caught him again on his shoulder. "What?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make fun of you." He rubbed the back of his neck. "It was cool how you tried to explain a topic that you weren't familiar with." He stuck out his hand. "Makoto Tachibana."

"Rei Ryugazaki." The handshake was surprisingly firm, for such a gentle person.. Rei figured that there was more to this kid than he let on.

"Rei? Isn't that a girl's name?" Makoto cocked his head to the side. Rei frowned.

"Isn't Makoto a girl's name?" he growled out. Sensing the tension, Makoto laughed.

"No, no, I didn't mean it that way!" He gesticulated as emphasis. "I'm happy that there's more people who have girly names like me. You wouldn't believe the amount of teasing I had to go through in high school for that." Rolling his eyes, Makoto placed his hands on his hips and pouted like a drag queen. Even Rei couldn't stop himself. The corners of his mouth twitched up, betraying his stoic mask.

"Ah!" Makoto gasped.

"What?!" Rei jumped at the sudden sound.

"You smiled!" Makoto poked his new friend?'s cheek. "You should do that more often."

Rei would deny it till the day he died, but he was thankful for Makoto being there.

* * *

><p>They were quick to realize that they shared all their classes, and Makoto's insistence that Rei sit next to him made the bluenette feel wanted. After so long. He relaxed in his seat, sighing contentedly, listening to Makoto's expressive voice weave elaborate stories of his past.<p>

Their classes for the day ended at 12:45, with Rei stretching like a cat as he got up from his seat. His notebook was full of intricately solved equations, his handwriting as neat as ever. Makoto pulled him out of his chair. "Rei!"

"Hm?"  
>"Who's that?" Makoto's eyes were locked onto a tall boy in the front of the class. Rei recognized him instantly as the cockblock whose only purpose was to make sure Rin and Haruka were split up. Many a night were wasted to try to distract him while Rin and Haru snuck out on a date. Rei held no kindness for him whatsoever.<p>

"Sousuke Yamazaki." Rei spat out venomously. He remembered those nights when he had to be on guard duty for Rin and Haruka. He remembered the humiliation and the fear he felt when he was caught. He hid all that behind a mask of indifference which was quickly lost when he caught sight of Makoto's expression. The teen's eyes were wide open and sparkling, and a blush started forming across his face. Who knew that Makoto swung that way? He cleared his throat awkwardly. Makoto finally realized that Rei was still there and flushed bright red.

"U-Uh i-it's not like I was staring at him or anything." Makoto shook his head in denial and sputtered out.

"Enjoying the view?" Makoto jumped in surprise as he came face to face with the very teen that had caught his attention. Teal eyes glistened in mirth as his lips turned into a smirk.

"Yamazaki-senpai!" Makoto stammered and promptly turned crimson. He turned to the side with a look of Save me! in his eyes. Rei fought hard to keep his face impassive. One more expression like that and he would bust out in unmanly giggles.

Sousuke turned to Rei, eyes hardening.

"Ryugazaki." He nodded

"Yamazaki." Rei curtly nodded back.

"I'll be borrowing your friend here, if you don't mind." Sousuke then pulled Makoto out of his cowering position, dragging him by the arm to the exit. Makoto flashed one look of helplessness at Rei before he was out of sight. Rei chuckled. As much of a dick that Yamazaki Sousuke was, he was a good person to be around, smart and reliable. It would do Makoto good to have him around. He stretched and picked up his bag, flipping open his phone to call Rin.

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><p><strong>and there we have it, yet another (somewhat) pairing going :)<strong>

**I sincerely apologize for being so late with updating, I feel awful... just school problems and family problems and other problems *bangs head on computer***

**because of this, I have set up a calendar on my phone to remind myself to haul ass and start updating. It's written, just grossly written...**

**Thank you for reading and happy holidays!**

**~Hikaru~**


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